Articles
Secular Eschatology
What is “Secular Eschatology”? Let’s break it down:
1. Secular: 1a: of or relating to the worldly or temporal; 1b: not overtly or specifically religious (Webster’s Online).
2. Eschatology: 1: a branch of theology concerned with the final events in the history of the world or of humankind. 2: a belief concerning death, the end of the world, or the ultimate destiny of humankind (ibid).
Secular eschatology, therefore, is a non-religious belief in the end of the world and/or human life. That end may be caused by man, natural calamity or aliens, but regardless of the method of destruction secular eschatology is often advanced by a fearful, strident, nihilistic belief that the sky is falling. And if people believe that the end is imminent, they are likely to vehemently attack whatever/whoever they believe to be the threat.
The most vocal and politically active secular eschatologists of our day are the climate change proponents. A rather large segment of the developed world – scientists, politicians, corporations – are fully invested in the notion that the climate is being destabilized by man and, if not reversed, the planet will be destroyed. You may think this is some academic discussion that doesn’t have real-world implications, but think again.
In a recent New York Magazine article, author Emily Holleman shared her views on motherhood: “The decision to have children always struck me as an essentially selfish one: You choose, out of a desire for fulfillment or self-betterment or curiosity or boredom or baby-mania or peer pressure, to bring a new human into this world. And it has never seemed more selfish than today … From a global perspective, having a child in a developed nation is among the most environmentally unsound decisions you can make (because) just one new baby adds another 58.6 tons of carbon to the atmosphere per year.”
Lest you think this is just another cockamamie online screed, last March the CDC reported that the U.S. birthrate fell to the lowest rate in over a century across every major race and ethnicity and nearly every age group. While concern for climate change is not the sole reason for this decline, its proponents long ago began their propaganda campaign against Western values of procreation and childrearing: abortion, birth control and adoption are good, and having your own children, especially more than one, is bad. Don’t be surprised when restrictions on having children or on families with multiple children start popping up in public policy.
Secular eschatologists and Christians agree on one thing: the earth and the whole universe will inevitably come to an end. The best the secularists can hope for is to extend the earth’s viability for as long as possible, but the ultimate fate is inescapable. If man doesn’t destroy the planet first, the earth will be incinerated by our sun’s eventual expansion and burnout.
Christians, on the other hand, believe that God will bring to pass the end of the earth and the universe at a moment of His own choosing: “The heavens and the earth which now exist are kept in store by the same word, reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men … the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up” (2 Pet 3:7, 10).
In the meantime, however, God doesn’t tell us to forego having children or limit our family size. Children are an integral part of His creative purpose, and from the beginning He has instructed man to “be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (Gn 1:28-29). These are words of purpose, liberty and blessing for humanity from our Creator that no doubt spark nausea and loathing in the hearts of every climate change comrade.
God’s purposes for and commands to man will not result in the planet’s destruction. He will see to it that the earth is sustained for as long as He desires. This does not grant permission to neglect, abuse or waste resources; rather He has given us a planetary home that is resilient, renewable and resistant to man’s “carbon footprint.” When God created the earth and man He was not ignorant of the impact of the Industrial Age. We must not think of God as a lifeless idol that merely mimics our own lack of foresight and control of our surroundings. He is in control; He will preserve our earthly home; He wants us to produce and rear children and enjoy loving them and learning from them.
